Valve have launched an appeal for users of Steam to vote for Gordon Freeman as the “All Time Greatest Game Hero” on Gamespot’s site. Which brings the whole thing to our attention. It’s surely only right to see a PC character winning the battle against huge competition like Mario and Link. Currently Mr Freeman is holding a tenuous lead against Zelda’s pointy-hatted friend, 55% to 45%. Of course, don’t think it’s only the bespectacled mute that merits your vote – it’s just that he’s the only PC boy left. Duke Nukem was trounced by Link, and astonishingly The Nameless One was taken out in the first round by Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa. Seriously, we need to get in there to sort this mess out. The current voting audience saw fit to select Resident Evil’s Leon S. Kennedy over JC Denton. Good grief.
We’re more sympathetic to Shadow of the Colossus’s Wander beating Guybrush Threepwood – that’s a tough first round pick to be sure. But any voting audience that thinks Punch Out’s Little Mac is better than Phoenix Wright should be arrested and dissolved. Other PC characters weeded out in the first round include the Jedi Knight series’ Kyle Katarn being beaten by Ms Croft, and Thief’s Garrett ousted by bloody Frogger. (Although it’s hard not to slightly love the vote when you see Master Chief taken out in round one by Bub & Bob.)
Edit: Oh lord, I just noticed Manny Calavera was beaten by sodding Dante.
It’s at semi final stage now, with Mario taking on the lovely Samus Aran, and Gordon Freeman versus Link. It would be an incredible victory to see our boy taking on the might of such iconic heroes, so why not go along and offer your vote. Feel free to be thinking of JC Denton when you click on Gordon – he’d understand.
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Neither “character” is actually a character. They’re just your eyes and ears and hands. They have no will or personality of their own. I couldn’t in good conscience vote for either
This kind of poll is retarded. Half of the people voting haven’t even seen the characters they are voting against. It looks positive now, but just wait until all the little console kiddies get back from school.
Anyway Gordon Freeman ftw. :)
These sorts of voting things are really stupid to begin with. It’s basically a huge popularity contest. I mean it’s like: Yes, acting like a bunch of high schoolers is exactly the way we should decide these sorts of things, let’s completely ignore any context, the strength of the game the cahracter is from and the quality of writing and voice acting put into the character. (Assuming there was any voice acting.)
It’s just stupid.
Still, did you hear that Master Chief got beaten by Bub and Bob ? How awesome is that!
@AndrewC:
Only because of 4chan votespamming, for the lulz.
Don’t look a horse in the teeth
I voted for sandvich.
…I think I’m on the wrong website.
You guys are all being really stupid. Of course it’s a popularity contest, not a merit contest. How the hell could it be anything but? You’re taking it much too seriously.
And Gordon is only where he is now, because it’s 4chan’s last-ditch effort to screw with the results, after their attempt to get Bub & Bob to win was thwarted (similarly, it was 4chan who put Little Mac ahead of Phoenix Wright; MOST of the counter-intuitive victories were the result of 4chan goofing around). It has nothing to do with your “glorious PC gaming master race” coming out in force.
“Seriously, we need to get in there to sort this mess out.”
That’s an awful lot of superiority complex dedicated to a pretty stupid little poll.
You’re getting pretty het up for someone who’s presumably not taking this seriously. Just sayin’.
Sounding a bit serious there for someone accusing people of taking things too seriously ;)
And the superiority complex is only there because our glorious PC gaming master race is obviously superior. :D
No, you are!
@Cedge: I’ll have you know that the Internets are SERIOUS BUSINESS.
4chan’s desire to subvert all everything is probably the best, last hope to avoid yet another landslide victory for the world’s most overused Italian plumber, so “marblecake, also, the game” it harder. Hell, it’s almost a shame it’s not his old washed-up, un-naturally coloured, spiked competitor he’s up against.
Gordon has won, and faces Mario in the finals.
http://uk.gamespot.com/greatest-video-game-hero/vote/index.html?battle_id=63
I don’t think I need to tell you what to do here…
wow, its now 70% for gordon, seems like valves request paid off
for the final 1 that is
Gordon Freeman a flat character?
Haven’t you seen Freeman’s mind? He’s the only contestant with the guts to ask if Nietzsche was in a band. (Freeman’s thoughts: Probably.)
The second picture of Freeman in the "Behind the Hero" section is Barney. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make that same mistake with Luigi. Therefore, Mario is the more iconic.
That wasn't enough to make me vote for the little bastard though. I'm sick of Mario games, and the way they're fun for the first three worlds then hit you with all kinds of irritating moving spiky death platforms and instant death scenarios that steal any fun from the game.
“the way they’re fun for the first three worlds then hit you with all kinds of irritating moving spiky death platforms and instant death scenarios that steal any fun from the game.”
Mario games have been painfully easy since the N64 >_>
I think you’ve mixed up Mario, with I Wanna Be The Guy. Which incidentally, I love :|
New Super Mario Brothers on the DS is most certainly NOT “painfully easy.” That thing is a real bitch.
Disclaimer:Beating Ghosts’n'Goblins warps your perception of “easy”
I’m not claiming it’s Ghosts ‘n Goblins hard, but it’s certainly the match of the old 2d Mario games.
I guess if I’m not stuck on one bit, for hours on end, I feel like I’m just waltzing through the game now :\
Well, It was New SMB on the DS I was referring to (and Mario 64 DS, with its painful control scheme), and I hadn’t played a 2d platformer for year before that. I think the last one I played was Superfrog. ;)
Woah, final time guys – get the votes in!
Well, it is a question of the greatest hero and while the Free Man might not be an amazing characters he is no doubt the greatest hero. Mario is a wuss.
I dunno — Mario’s pretty badass, I have to say. I fondly remember having many adventures with him in my youth.
Oh, well; he wins everything, anyway. I voted Freeman.
It’s on to Freeman vs Mario now, currently Freeman ahead 60.9% to 39.4%
In terms of votes that’s a roughly 15k point lead right now, but yesterday’s poll had almost 200k total votes so there’s plenty of room left for things to change.
wow, sorry but link should have won. As PC as i am, Zelda is Zelda.
I voted for Gordon, but I was thinking of Mr. Denton and the Nameless One.
I agree with Colin, except I was also thinking of Guybrush Threepwood, Cate Archer and Garrett. All of these got beaten out by relative nobodies. JC Denton and the Nameless One especially though. Also Jade is way better than Samus.
I don't know if it was noticed yet by RPS, but Gordon Freeman won by 5.8% go Gordon :D